The Sun. — London, England, 1818-01-01 00:00:00

State to rendezvous at Fort Hawkins, there to be iiganized to join the United States Forces under Ceoerd GAINES, destined against the hostile Indians." (From the Baltimore Telegraph of Nov. 29.) A Letter from Admiral BRION, dated Oct. 16, "Ys, " It is with the greatest satisfaction that 1 am enabled lo date my letters from this place Atigttstura). The Venezuelian Flag now flies triumphant on the whole of the Oronoko, whilst General BERMUDAY has marched with a strong di 'Osion to join Gen. ZARAZA, and enter Caraccas." (From the Baltimore Advertiser of Nov. 27.) A Spanish schooner from the coast of Africa hr Havanna!), with 117 slaves on board, has been taken into Amelia Island. She was captured by a small Mexican privateer, fitted out at that place, lifte r a er.trize of 16 days. There was a great deal of gold dust on board. Alextco.—Accounts received at New Orleans, from Vera Cruz and the Havannah, concur in stating that General MINA had arrived with a powerful force within six leagues of the City of Mexico, and a good anderstanding was expected to take place between the adverse parties, and that both would unite in maintaining Mexico as an Independent Nation.—(.4uroro, N0v.26.) The letters this morning received from America state, that the United States frigate Congress was to sail on the 30th of November, with the Com missioners for South .America. • We notice with very different feelings the Meet ing which yesterday took place at the City of London Tavern, from those which were excited by the very different Meeting of Monday last at the same plane. The first was the celebration of FACTION awl THE TRIUMPH of IMPIETY; and the Other for the suapowrof RELIGION: But, however landible were the intentions of the Persons who as sembled on the latter occasion, we cannot approve tg . Tavern Meetings of the Members of a Sacred .• Function, however meritorious may be the occa sion of their celebration. Many sentiments, in .. deed, were uttered yesterday, which were, at least, indiscreet, and though the Royal Chairman deprecated all political discussion, it was rather a matter of luck than of prudence that such discus sions did not interfere. The Rev. Doctor COLLYER, who seems a. little too fond of appearing in public, -among other remarks, of which we cannot approve, introduced the fol lowing passage as part of the second Resolution, that Religion is not intended to aggrandize a .peculiar class, nor to become an engine of State." The enemies of our ORTHODOX ESTABLISHMENT ,could hardly have said more, as it implies an attack upon that Establishment. It was also laid down as one of the axioms of the Assembly, that every. man for hintself is hititied to investigate and to expound the Holy Scriptures. The right to investigate none can deny, but to a ffitin that every weak and ignorant man is to expound the Holy Scriptures is totly, to say the least of it.. If that were the case, where would be the . use of that Ecclesiastical Body, whose abject it is to investigate the Holy Scriptures, and whose duty it is to explain them according to the best lights which deep study have afforded them., Thele are many other grounds of objection which ace could urge upon this occasion, in whiCh too much loose and indiscreet matter was brought forward ; but we shall_ pause for the present, just observing that we differ from the opinion of a Morning Pa per (The Herald), which says, that " it is to be regretted that the Clergy of the Church of Eng land were not present in greater numbers:' Far from regretting their absence, without meaning to enedem n the motives of those who were present on 3° gratifying an occasion as THE TAI-CENTENARY of rue IturoltbrATloN, we approve of their not I""4"trYiag themselves by attending Public Meet ifigs, excepting their respective Congregations, !here , they appear in their proper character and OUtt VeNzaants Moisaactt.—The Order of the El lilm•('r of RUSSIA to his Clergy not to utter any praises of him in their Sermons, &c. reminds of an anecdote respecting our excellent OUR GOOD OLD KING," as he is uni- Irs 'ilY and most justly stiled, soon after his ac ceS""'ti to the Throne, attending Divine Service in his Chapel at St. James's, was eulogized by t;te Preacher in its sermon . much in the same manner as the Emperor of RUSSIA had been on the occa sion alluded to. and therefore he next day sent a Messag e to the Minister, which should be written in letters of gold,'"as a lesson for KINGS as well 113 MitsitsTeas, „(_,Prizing hi m th at " h e went to _ nrreh t o hear GOD PRAISED, and not HIMSELF," and tlfsiritig him to !oibear in future from such improper topics. The - • s _ ori r l i e se tii i i i i i bee„ e the Pri ce of Port er , w hi c h h as been eff ect. ex Pected, Was carri e d yesterday -,~:.. SHIP NEWS; DEAL, DEC. 31.—Arrived the William, COFFIN, from New York ; Charles, BRODIE, from Canary Island ; and De Frow Hendrica, VANEENSEER, from Lisbon.—Came down from Gie River the Centurion, for Bengal, and Anna Dorothea, for Madeira ; the latter has sailed. _Sailed this morn ing, at 10 A. M. the whole of the outward-bound East and West Indiamen, Coasters. and Colliers,. with a light breeze from the north. PORTSMOUTH, DEC. 31.—Sailed the following outward-bound vessels :—Duncombe, for Ja maica ; Pallas, for Gibraltar ; Betsy, for Charles ton ; Shannon, fur Naples ; Venus, for Hayti ; Euphemia, for Trieste ; Lord Exmouth, for Gi braltar ; and Richard and John; for Rio Janeiro. Arrived the Adelphi, WALKER, from Archangel ; she spoke on her passage the George, of Hull, all well. FALmotrrit, DEC. 29. --- Arrived the Susan, TRUMAN, from Liverpool for Rotterdam. ABERDEEN, DEC. 27.—0 n Tuesday the Atlas, STRUTHERS, of this place, from Shields to Ber bice, with coals, put back with damage, having, in the gale of the 14th instant. when about ten miles to the . westward of St. Kilda, shipped a tre mendous sea, which breaking above halt tip to the tops, carried away a number of her stancheons, her bulwarks, cook-house, &c. and broke tour or five of her deck beams; parted with the Mi nerva, SHARP, (ruin Shields to Antigua, on the 1 Ith instant, off Loch Eribol. The brig Anne, of Bu'ness, front Dantzic to Leith, came into Straitness in the gale of the 19th instant, and nearly upset when coming to anchor, having four or five feet water in her hold. Capt. STRU THERS experienced a most violent gale on Wed nesday the 17th instant, during which he !rained that a fishing smack belonging to Gravesend, bound to London, with her cargo of fish, was totally lost with all out board, by striking a rock in Water Sound, Orkney ; and that next day a sloop, belonging to Kit kwall, had been carried into the Orkneys, with three bodies on board, but none of the crew alive. Spuke a brig belonging to Kincardine, ant; Was informed, that in the fatal gale of the 14 instant, he had seen, in the Moray Frith, a brig bottom up, seemingly .about 200 tons, with black sides and a wh.te bottom. ABERDEEN, DEC. 27. FIRE IN ST. ANDREW'S CHAPEL. On Christmas-day, just as the communion service had begun, one of the most dimming fires took place in St. Andrew's Chapel, King-street, which we have almost ever seen. At one time, we had not the smallest doubt but that this beau tiful building would, in the course of a few hours, have been a pile of ruins. As far as we can learn, the fire was occasioned by the overheating of the stoves, the noes of which having got red com municated with the outer casing, and from thence to the pipes which pass under the organ gallery for the heating of the chapel. On the first alarm, the congregation retired in a very lankily manner, without any accident ; but, by the time the fire engines were brought, the flames had burst out from under the organ platform, and ascended more than half the height of the instrument. It is impossible to describe the feelings of the con gregation, driven in an instant from the most sublime pact of our service to God, nor of the im mense crowd of people sho had assembled on the street. Well aware of the.nature of the interior of the building, they had not the smallest hope of its being saved. However, by the very great ex ertions of those who had the charge of the fire engines, and of the incalculable multitude that formed lines for the conveying of water from the various fire cocks and wells in the neighhourhood, as well as trona the Harbour, the Barrack Yard, and even from the farther extremity of North street, very for•'unately the lire was checked, and, by perseverance and the most judicious manage ment of the water, it was ulthintiefy subdued, without extending farther tutu the gallery, in which it originally began. The damage is but trifling, in co • parison to what was apprehended ; and, what is very singular, although the organ appears to have been surrounded with fire, yet no part of the •instruuteut had been touched by it, and the only injury it has received was front the water, which was discharged in torrents from the engines, the pipes of which were conveyed to the roof. " The state of this country, at the present mo ment, when placed in compaiison with its situa tion with the corresponding period of last year, exhibits an exhilarating contrast. At that time the sum of. actual distress was perhaps unparal leled, and it was deepened by still darker antici pation. Our crops had failed, manufactures were at a stand, and commerce seemed to have desert ed us : the rich were embarrassed, and the poor were starving. Government was in perplexity, and some classes of the people, goaded by despair, vainly sought for relief in tumult and innovation. But a change has since gleamed upon us, equally rapid, unexpected, and decisive : the cheerful voice of industry has again awoke and drowned the murmurs of sedition. In the former gloomy season the chief occupation of public spirit was to render more effective existing establishments, and to plan new institutions for the relief of the poor :—now that field of useful action, though still ample, is happily narrowed, for both the necessa ries of life, and the means of their acquisition, are comparatively abundant and accessible.— Though the circumstances of this district render it less susceptible of those sudden fluctuations which agitate quarters more Cully peopled, and more dependent upon the changing aspects of commerce, yet we too have bad a portion of the common distress, and participate in the general renovation. On the state of the woollen mann facture depends the demand for what may be call ed the staple export of the Highlands, and we rest on the general prosperity of the country for the sale of our cattle. In the close of 1816, and indeed during the whole of that year, we could find no market for our produce, except on terms which were ruinously low. But the state of things is now considerably improved, and promises fair for progressive melioration."—(The Inverness Courier.) P 0 ET It Y. TO THE NEW YEAR. By Mrs.M‘M rl L LAN. [From The Morning Post.] Thou art not drest in Spring's reviving hue; Nor Summer drapery of etherial blue; Autunin's rich mantle is not on thy form; — But Winter hails thee from the halls of storm. War's sounding bugle wakes no echoing strain, But Peace salutes thee on the whiten'd plain ! In soothing carols breathes her grateful vow, And weaves an olive chaplet for thy brow. Then come, mild Spirit of the New-born Year, Bani.h each sigh, and dry Misfortune's tear; Give Hope's fair visions to the anxious breast, Bring present joy, and be in future blest. Let not the traces of thy rapid Night Stain Britain's day-star with the gloom of night— Let not the garlands of the peasant's mirth Become dark cypress on his lowly hearth— Let nut thy me,uty he in grief obscured, Nor thy events in misery immured. Thy predecessor mark'd his dreary reign With deepest anguish, and. with hopeless pain; Reft from BRITANNIA'S crown the brightest gem, And pluck'd the sole leaf from the parent-stem; Wird Hope's warm wishes in a murky cloud, Till to Despair each sweet expectance bowed! Come, then, though cradled on a mount of snow, Though ice-wrought arrows and a frozen bow Attend thy birth, yet may thy hours' swift wing - Heal wintry sadness with the smile of Spring! Blest by the rich, and welcomed by the poor, Promise of joy to Britain's land restore. • Let not young Love, nor ripen'd Friendship think Thy hand will wither every sacred link. It in the heart one form beloved is kept, If o'er one hallow'd name true love has wept, If o'er one relic midnight tears are shed, If from the soul earth's dearest bliss has fled— Oh ! bring a solace from the fount above,-- A balm extracted from Elysian love! Time ! ,wift ambassador 'twixt GOD and man, Design's great parent, soul of ev'ry plan, - Thy periods, from the birth-day to the grave, Successive follow as the restless wave Breaks into liquid fragments on the shore, Then mingles with the ocean as before ! FAbiIIONS FOR JANUARY. EvENts•sa DaEss.—A black crape frock over a black sarsnet slip ; the body is composed of white crape tastefully orna mented with deep vandykes of black vclvet, each vandyke finished at the point by a little light ornament of black che nille. Short full sleeve of intermixed black and white craps; the fulness drawn to the middle of the arm, and confined in three separate folds by vandykes of black ve!ret. The; bot tom of the skirt is finished by a row of black velvet vandykes, surmounted by a large rouleau of white crape, entwined with black chenille. Above this is a piece of white crape tucked byas, and finished at the edges by rows of black crape leaves: two rows of roses, set on at small distances, and without leaves, which are composed of black crape mixed with che nille, complete this elegant and novel trimming. Head-dress a white crape toque, ornamented round the front with che nille, and finished by a diadem of white crape roses. CARRIAGE DaEss.—Bombazeen high dress; the body, made quite plain, fastens behind. There is no collar, but it is full trimmed round the throat with -black crape. Plain long sleeve, finished at the wrist by a puckering of crape, intermixed with rich black silk trimming. The skirt, which is of a mode rate width, is trimmed round the bottom with a double row of black crape, disposed in a light and novel manner., This is surmounted by a row of Spanish puffs, which are let in very full ; they are of a round shape, and the middle of each is formed of a piece of black satin disposed in fill plaits. Over this is a rouleau of intermingled black crape and rich black silk trimming, and above the whole is placed a rowof Spanish puff's, composed wholly of black crape, and something smaller than those beneath. With this dress is worn the Russian wrapping -cloak, composed of tufted mole-skin cloth, and lined with black sarsnet. A pelerine of enormous size, and a large full hood, render this one of the most comfortable envelopes we have seen for a considerable time.—(.lcher mann' s Repository.) FANCY MOURNING DESNABILLE.—Morning slip of grey Merino crape, ornamented with black round the border in ranges of leaves; the slip made low, without sleeves, and worn over a cambric spencer, ornamented with fine muslin, embroidered at the 'edge with black, and finished at the throat with a triple ruff of 'limbo, tied in front with black lure. Black sarsnet French apron, edged round with a trim ming of black love. Corneae of fine muslin, crowned with a garland of black flowers. Black chamois slippers. GENERAL OBSERVATIONS.—For the univeral good of trade, we are happy to see that the mourning is much abridged. For walking, black bouts and black slippers have now given place to a half-boot, the foot of which is of fine black satin leather, the gaiter part of grey cloth, bound with black, and buttoned at the side with jet buttons. Tiaras of jet are worn on the hair, and broaches are formed of every shape that fancy can invent: black bugle bands en circle the waist, but the favourite cestus is. of jet, and is styled a neglige, one end of which depends about a quarter of a Belle Anemblie.) BRIGHTON, DSC. 30.—At four (o'clock this af ternoon a Privy Council was held at the Pavilion. Besides the Patxca REGENT, there were present the Duke of York, the Marquisses of Hertford and Cholmondeley, the Earl of Liverpool, Vis count Castlereagh, Lord Stewart, and Sir B. Bloomfield. Viscount Chetwynd arrived early in the afternoon, and attended the Council as Clerk in Ordinary. Mr. Leach was sworn into office as Vice-Chancellor. Sir %V. A'Court, our Minister at the Court of the Two Sicilies, attended the Council. Atter the Council had concluded their deliberations, they dined with the Regent. The Duke of York remains at the Pavilion until Sa turday next. _ A veteran soldier, who has recently arrived from St. Helena, mentions that be found his situ ation there very comfortable. Though the pro visions were salt, they were of the best kinds, and the tuen were healthy. The Governor exerted himself in promoting public amusements. A good understanding subsisted between the garrison and Buonaparte's people; but the Emperor himself was very retiled, and was ,never seen by our in formant during all the time he was on the island. Mrs. and Miss Baines, who are confined in Car marthen town gaol on suspicion of forgery on the Bank of England, appear to be above the middle rank in life. Young Baines is in the coun ty gaol with the• two Johnson:, implicated in a similar charge. CELEBRATION OF THE REFORMATION. ' A most numerous assemblage of persons, Chris tians of all denominations,. met yesterday at the City of London Tavern, to celebrate the Thivd Centenary of the Reformation. The Meeting was called for twelve o'clock, and at that early hour, notwithstanding the weather was most unfavourable from. the dense impene trable fog which overspread the metropolis, the Great Room was nearly full, and very soon after wards the door was besieged by numbers who could not get in. It was expected that the Duke of SUSSEX would take the chair precisely at twelve, but his 'Royal Highness did not make his appearance at the ex pected time, and symptoms of impatience were soon manifested. On a wish that the business of the day should forthwith commence being gene rally signified in the usual way, Dr. COLLY ER begged to inform the Meeting that the Duke of Sussex had not yet arrived. ,His absence might in part he accounted for from the state of the weather. That no time might be lost, he would propose that a Chairman should forth with be named. It was intended that the person called to the chair should be a Clergyman of the Church of England, as the present meeting was not called to further any sectarian objects, but was intended to consist of Christians of every de nomination, and to advance but those principles its which they had all one common interest. He recommended it to the meeting to call the Rev. Mr. Simeon to the Chair. Mr. SIMEON having taken the chair, in obe dience to the unanimous call of the room, de clared he should hardly feel more awkward-on the throne of England, than he now felt on that throne which he had been required to fill— He would however, with much pleasure, as far as his abilities would permit, discharge the duties of the situation till the Duke of Sussex should arrive, when be should be most happy to surrender it into abler hands. He briefly opened the business, by stating the purpose for which they were as sembled, and congratulated the meeting on the difference between the present situation of the country and that in which it was found before the Reformation. The Rev. F. A. Cox, of Hackney, having•acted a prominent part in the Committee by which the present meeting had been called, was desirous of stating the motives by which he and they had been animated. Nothing was further from their wishes than to erect the standard of party. If ever there were a period when that of self-annihilation ought to be raised—when all sectarian feelings ought to give way, it was on this great occasion. He was the friend to unlimited toleratiost—to boundless freedom of thought,—and it any feelings opposed to these lurked in his heart, it was his wish that that might be the occasion, and that the solemn moment which should uproot them. He described false religions to be distinguished from the true, by the zeal with which they waged an intermina ble and exterminating war against those who dif fered front them, and the fury with which they sought to annihilate the heresy, by annihilating the heretics. It was thus that the Romans had en deavoured to put down the Christians, and thus the Mahomedans had endeavoured to promulgate their religion. But they who advocated the reli gion of the Lord—they who were Christians, fol. lowed no such examples, and sought but to prove the importance and the value of their tenets by good-will towards men ;" and were opposed to all persecutions. He then read the first of a string of eighteen Resolutions. 'I his declared the,right of man. to worship his Creator according to his own conscience, in his own way, to be a natural and unalienable right, with which no human au thorities ought to interfere. Mr. YOUNG seconded the motion, which was carried unanimously. While Mr. Cox was speaking, the arrival of the Duke of Stiss'ex was announced. He entered the room just after the first Resolution had been carried. The Duke of SUSSEX (having taken the Chair) expressed sorrow at not having been able to meet the assembly sooner. The fog had made it dif ficult for him to come, and his carriage had broken down, but having at length got there, he trusted he should not break down in the Cause. He had felt much flattered by the application made to him to preside on this occasion, as the meeting had been called to support those principles which he had been accustomed to stand up for elsewhere. He pressed upon their consideration the impi.o. piety of st►ffering politics to be mixed w►ith any part of the proceedings of the day, and authorised by the room to do so, he should most carefully exert himself to guard against thy;, introduction of any thing of the kind. it was most important that they should not be misrepresented or misun derstood in this particular. _ _ _ The second Resolution, which declared Reli gion to have been never intended to aggrandize one peculiar class, or to be used as an engine of state, .but to purify the heart and mitigate the ca lamities of life, by giving the sufferers hopes of immortality, was next read. • Dr. COLLYER, in moving the above Resolution, eloquently described the character of true Reli gion, and that of the principles on which the Re formation bad been commenced. That Almighty Being, whose hand had spread so - wonderful a di versity.over all his works, that no blade of grass was exactly like another, bad willed that the same distinguished varieties should belong to the mind of man. Every man had a right to form an opinion on religious matters for himself ;—the Bible was his rule, and God would be his judge, and no human power had a right to inter lere—(Applause.)—No party feelings could be suffered to mingle with the business before the Meeting. The cause which they, stood forward to support was too God-like to admit of human passions being called into its aid. Religion, like the sun, imparted life and purity to other objects— . it exhaled what was noxious,—iliumiued and gave splendour to all that received its ray, and could receive contamination from none. On this day, contemplating that event which they were assem bled ,to commemorate, it was for them to tell that Great Being trim whom all good proceeded, that they were exceedingly grateful that that.chain lied been broken by his will, which had fettered the' mind of man in matters where God. himself Lad